"White-clad" man jailed for 7 years for Yuen Long attack after acquittal overturned

A "white-clad" man involved in the Yuen Long station incident on July 21, 2019, was sentenced to seven years in jail by the District Court on Tuesday after his acquittal was overturned.

Wong Chi-wing, a 60-year-old cargo driver, was acquitted of riot and wounding with intent in 2021. However, the verdict was overturned last week in a retrial, following the Department of Justice's appeal.

Judge Eddie Yip Chor-man on Tuesday sentenced Wong to seven years of imprisonment, ruling that he had acted alongside the mob, "indiscriminately provoking, threatening, and assaulting citizens."

In mitigation, the defense argued that he had been diagnosed with panic disorder in 2012 and claimed he had only "moved his hands a few times," playing a minor role in the incident. 

However, Yip dismissed these arguments, stating that Wong’s actions were closely tied to the mob’s violence, making him equally responsible.

The judge noted that two other defendants in the case, Lam Koon-leung and Lam Kai-ming, had pleaded guilty and received seven-year sentences as a starting point. Since Wong’s involvement was similarly serious, the court imposed the same sentence without reduction.

In 2021, seven of the eight "men in white T-shirts" defendants in the case were convicted and sentenced to terms ranging from three and a half to seven years.

Wong was the only defendant who was acquitted.

At the time, Judge Yip who also presided over the original trial ruled that the person seen in the footage did not closely resemble Wong.

Although the shoes worn by one attacker matched a pair found in Wong’s home, the judge speculated that Wong might have been holding them for someone else, raising suspicion but not proving guilt.

However, in August 2024, the Court of Appeal overturned Wong’s acquittal, ordering a reconsideration of the case. 

It found that Yip had made errors in his decision, including overlooking key evidence such as the fact that police had seized the shoes from Wong’s residence, which matched those worn by an attacker in the video.

(Ayra Wang)